With advances in mobile communication technologies, terminals can support voice calls and also various data communication functions. In particular, thanks to development of advanced terminals such as smartphones and high-speed networks, users may send and receive a variety of data at anytime and anywhere. In a terminal such as a smartphone, various applications including a mail client, a Social Networking Service (SNS) client and an Instant Messaging (IM) client are executed. These applications may connect to networks and synchronize data between the applications and corresponding servers. To this end, the applications may be run according to their synchronization periods set based on user preferences. Synchronization periods are typically set to 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 4 hours, and may be set to other values according to user preferences. The user may set a short synchronization period for an application needing near real-time update. On the contrary, the user may set a long synchronization period for an application not needing near real-time update or to save communication and battery resources.
For each application with a set synchronization period, the terminal sends a request message for updated data to a counterpart, e.g. a server, on a network. In return, the counterpart sends requested data to the terminal.
To reduce power consumption, the terminal remains in power saving mode, such as idle mode, when communication is not needed. Whenever an application performs an update, the terminal transitions from idle mode to active mode. When multiple synchronization periods are set for a number of applications, the terminal may have to frequently transition from idle mode to active mode. Likewise, when two or more repetitive synchronization activities with different periods are set for one application, the same problem may arise.
FIG. 1 depicts a synchronization process according to the related art.
A mail client is registered with Account A, Account B and Account C. A repetitive synchronization activity with a period of 15 minutes is configured for each account. For Account A, the synchronization activity begins at 3600 seconds and ends at 3605 seconds. For Account A, an alarm is configured to trigger the synchronization activity 15 minutes after the previous ending thereof. Then, the synchronization activity for Account A is newly performed at 4505 seconds. Similar actions are performed for Account B and Account C.
The synchronization activity for Account B begins 8 seconds after the ending, at 3605 seconds, of the synchronization activity for Account A. Considering overall synchronization activities for one application, i.e. the mail client, idle times between synchronization activities are 8 seconds, 5 seconds, 14 minutes and 35 seconds, 10 seconds, 14 minutes and 33 seconds.
As described above, in the related art, when a mail client is registered with multiple accounts having different synchronization periods, synchronization is performed at different points in time for the individual accounts. Hence, in the view of one application, synchronization activities are performed in an irregular and aperiodic manner. Thereby, the terminal may have to transition from idle mode to active mode whenever a synchronization activity is performed. Frequent mode transitions may cause unnecessary signaling and power consumption. For example, in the case of a 3rd Generation (3G) Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, 35 control messages may be needed for switching to preservation mode and reconfiguration of Radio Access Bearers (RAB).
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.